


Chance is the fool's name for fate

by pickyourselfupfred



Series: Fred and Ginger forever [3]
Category: Astaire/Rogers RPF, Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers Movies, c - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-29
Updated: 2014-11-29
Packaged: 2018-02-27 10:52:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2690129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickyourselfupfred/pseuds/pickyourselfupfred
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm on a roll at the moment. Things are starting to move on, albeit slowly. Much more to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chance is the fool's name for fate

Whilst Fred was working in England he received quite a few telegrams from Pandro Berman, his RKO producer. ‘Rio’ had been very successful and audiences were cheering the Carioca dance. He hadn’t thought much of the film as a whole and was rather too conscious of the way he photographed. However, he had to admit he and Gin looked great together. She was so clever; she could sell the dance for both of them. He tried to push these thoughts from his mind when Berman suggested a rematch of the two of them in the movie of ‘The Gay Divorce’ .He wrote a series of letters pointing out all the reasons he could think of to avoid working with Ginge again. The truth, of course, was that he was very afraid of being that close to her again. He found it so difficult not to kiss her and he knew if that happened he would be lost.

What he didn’t know at that point was that Ginger, feeling so bereft had turned to another man. She’d worked with Lew Ayres and they’d got on well and when he suggested marriage she accepted. She was going nowhere with Fred so second best would have to be enough.

Fred’s letters to Berman were in vain. The studio wanted it and gave him lots of incentives to keep him on board, besides he was under contract. They were both going to be thrown together again. He’d heard about the marriage by then. She didn’t love him. Perhaps it would be less awkward this time round.

‘ Congratulations Ginger’, he said when they met up again, ‘ I hope you’re happy’.  
‘ I heard you didn’t want to work with me again’, she retorted. She was determined he should know she had found out.  
He was taken aback by her aggression, ’It’s the team thing, you know, no other reason’.  
‘I have to believe you then’, she replied.  
The tension between them was palpable. The sniping was horrible and both of them felt sickened inside at the state of their relationship.

Fred had asked for the dance sections of the picture to be shot towards the end of their schedule as he knew the partner dances would have to be more challenging this time round. When they began block dialogue scenes together Fred suddenly had a thought, which comforted him greatly. He couldn’t have Gin in real life but this was a movie. They were supposed to be head over heels in love with each other, they could be tender and have some of the fun they used to have. Everyone would think his acting was good, no one would suspect.

He was amazed how quickly they slipped back into their old easy banter. Ginger seemed to sense this was a nod to their previous life and found herself responding. They both began to feel more comfortable in each other’s company. The pretend world of the film allowed them to express the desire that had never gone away. When the script called for them to have a brief kiss Fred managed to slip her lips, landing the peck on her cheek – her lips would have been too much for him to cope with even in pretence.

With most of the dialogue wrapped Fred almost welcomed dance rehearsal. Although it was a fantasy it was better than nothing.

The first dance they blocked was ‘The Continental’. Fred knew this would be a light hearted dance and would be straightforward for both of them. Pan thought the atmosphere in the rehearsal hall was less strained than ‘Rio’ and the three of them worked well together. They breezed through the choreography and soon had put the dance together. Fred even called her Ginge at one point – something she had only allowed him to do and something he hadn’t done since New York.

‘Night and Day’ was more difficult as Fred wanted to replicate some of the stage performance. He helped and encouraged her throughout rehearsal and in some imperceptible way began to find peace in each other’s arms. They were both still very aware they had spouses, but although they didn’t speak about it and probably weren’t even aware of it; chains that had once bound them so tightly began to form again. When they came to shoot the number he found himself wanting to stroke her back in the old familiar way and the touch of his hands sent thrills through her in a way Lew could never do. At the end of the dance as he gently eased her to a seat the look she gave him was stunning. Every emotion they had ever felt was in that expression. Oh how he loved her.

They had left the table dance till towards the last days of rehearsal. Fred knew it was difficult and dangerous. His partner in London had her career cut short by an injury during this routine. However it was a showstopper and had to be included. When they came to this part of the dance he drew her to one side and said quietly.  
‘This is very tricky. I don’t want to drop you when we do the lifts and turns. I’m going to have to hold you very tightly to me’  
‘ That’s ok Fred’, she replied and used a sentence he had heard before, ‘I’d trust you with my life’.

He pulled and close and felt her soft breasts against his chest. They didn’t move. His mind tried to stay in neutral but his body began to respond to hers. She sensed, then felt him harden against her. Still they held each other very tightly. With Pan still in the room she saw from his eyes that he was silently pleading with her to help him in some way. She turned and positioned her body so Pan could not see Fred. Then, thinking quickly, she removed her cardigan.  
‘Gee it’s warm in here’, she said and passed it to Fred behind her.  
Clever girl he thought and held the sweater loosely in front of him.  
‘Pan could I ask a favour?’  
‘Sure Ginger’.  
‘Could you go to that soda fountain down the block and get me a chocolate sundae?’  
He scooted out and Ginger turned to Fred.  
‘That should give us 15 minutes’.  
‘I’m so sorry Ginge, that was unpardonable’.  
‘We were very close together Fred and I know what men’s bodies can do in that situation’.  
He stepped towards her and in a blinding flash they both realised their affection for each other was still present. And both had the same thought, ‘We’re married to other people’.  
Neither knew what to do but if anything happened now it would be a betrayal to others and neither of them was that kind of moral coward. 

Fred continued forward and shook her hand.  
‘Let’s be friends’.

And at that time, in that place, that would simply have to do.


End file.
